<p>i was accepted to both cal poly and santa clara and i can’t decide which one to pick. neither of them were my top choices when i applied to a bunch of schools, but i got waitlisted to all my favorites so i’m stuck choosing between these two. i like them both, but they both have a lot of negatives and i can’t decide which negatives are less bad if that makes sense haha.</p>
<p>cal poly:
-LOVE the location and the downtown
-everyone that goes there seems very happy
-bio program doesn’t seem good enough to get me into medical school
-it’s really hard to get the classes you want
-changing your major can be difficult
santa clara:
-it has the nicest campus of any college i’ve seen
-small classes and it’s easy to get the classes you want
-ridiculously nice facilities and students
-really close to home (about an hour, i’m from the east bay)
-it seems like there’s not a lot to do there
-i strongly dislike san jose, which is the big city next to it
-not enough of a change of scenery, their weather is the same, their radio stations are the same, etc</p>
<p>basically it’s coming down to whether i should pick based on school or location. i think i prefer santa clara’s programs and campus to cal poly, but i prefer cal poly’s students and location to santa clara. another important thing is that i’m not 100% sure i want to do biology. i’m pretty sure, but there’s still a chance that i’ll end up switching, and i know that cal poly isn’t a good school for someone who isn’t positive about their major. however, if i switched my major there’s a good chance that i’d do animal science, which cal poly IS good for (better for than biology at least) and santa clara doesn’t even offer it. i’m not sure if that should affect my decision though since it’s just a possible back up major.</p>
<p>Switching majors is not as bad as it seems to be made out to be. I know plenty of people who have done it, some more than once even. I think they want to give the impression that it is difficult to discourage too many people from doing it. Bio and animal science also have a decent amount of course overlap, which would make it better for you, since you could try to take classes that would count towards both degrees at first, and then decide if you want to switch. If you do, you won’t have to worry as much about making up course work. It can be difficult to get classes at Cal Poly, but if you’re smart and persistent about it, you should be able to get most of what you want. We just started a new quarter and a lot of people will give up on crashing after the first day. But if you keep going back to the class, or keep in contact with the teacher, there is a good chance a spot will open up and you can get in.</p>
<p>You’ve already taken into account that you might want to change your major, which is good, since a lot of people go into college thinking they want one type of career, and end up finding out it’s not really for them. This is what happened to me.</p>
<p>Alison,
You forgot to mention that SCU costs $30-35K a year more than Cal Poly. And it’s job rate upon graduation is nowhere near Cal Poly’s. I have had daughters attend both universities, and in a heartbeat, I’d say go to Cal Poly. Your list says that the SCU kids are “nice” … well, in our experience they are more likely affluent and entitled than those at Cal Poly, many of whom work while in school and do not party as much as those at what we unaffectionately call “Spoiled Children University.” The “area” is not fun around SCU; pretty much the only thing students do is party.
P.S. I also have 2 degrees from SCU … still, hands down, I vote for Cal Poly. I did not exit SCU ready to work as have my own daughter and my nephews upon finishing Cal Poly.</p>
<p>oh i know that there’s a huge money difference- santa clara gave me a scholarship so they would cost the same for me. i’m just concerned that cal poly’s bio program isn’t good enough for pre med/pre vet</p>
<p>This is a very important question. My son told me that there are a lot of folks who are med school bound at Cal Poly. Many of them are in the biomedical engineering department. Cal Poly is strong in biology, but if you have concerns go to the Open House and ask the professors what they think. Be very blunt as we were and you will get good answers. If med school or vet school is your goal you need to dig deeper and call the school. Speak to a career counselor as well.</p>
<p>Both schools are great. You just need to dig deeper directly with the schools and you probably won’t get the full answers you need here on CC.</p>
<p>By the way, I know kids that go to college just a few miles from home and you’d be surprised at how far away it is when you are on campus all the time and studying. Several of my friends have kids that go to school near home (within 20-30 miles) and never see the kids except for breaks. They could be going out of state for all that matters. When you are in school and living on campus, its the same as if you were 1,000 miles away.</p>
<p>Cal Poly has one of the top animal science in the US, along with a top ranked agriculture school. So if you plan is to become a vet, then Cal Poly is WAY better than Santa Clara U. </p>
<p>As for med school, I have classmate that is 1.5 year ahead of me that ended up going to Dartmouth medical school after Poly. It was pretty apparent to be that med school admission is all about GPA, MCAT, and recommendation letters. Cal Poly’s reputation is more than sufficient for any top ranked med school. What is more likely that will keep you from getting in is GPA or MCAT score.</p>
<p>Biology is not a strong major at SCU by any means! My 3rd child who wants to be a doctor didn’t even apply there for that reason. SCU has engineering, business and liberal arts strength (at best).</p>